If an athlete is asked what endurance means to them, the answer will probably be pretty standard and maybe even straight out of the dictionary. It would be something along the lines of pushing yourself to the limit, or taking it as far as you can. In fact, the Merriam-Webster dictionary states that endurance is “the ability to withstand hardship or adversity; the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity.” However, if a performance artist is asked what endurance means to them, the answer will not only be vastly different from that of an athlete, but the answer will vary depending on who you ask and depending on what kind of work the performance artist does. One particular artist, Patty Chang, talked about how the idea of endurance is not just pushing yourself as far as you can, but instead taking it one step further. She goes on to say that one element of endurance is finding the thin line between comfort and discomfort and trying to balance on that line.
There are a few artists who come to mind when thinking about Chang’s version of endurance. First would be Vito Acconci, who often works with subject matter that forces himself and his audience to deal with personal comfort levels. The second performance artist would be Marina Abramovic, who did one piece that lasted over fifteen hours. These two particular performance artists, as well as many other performance artists, often deal with issues of endurance. From performances that force the performer and viewer/participants to deal with comfort levels to performances that last amounts of time others would consider extreme, performance artists often push themselves past a point that the average person might consider to be endurance. The work these performance artists create will hopefully make the viewer question their own personal definition of endurance.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Vito Acconci "Undertone" (excerpt) 1972
Vito Acconci, born in 1940 in New York, is a well known performance artist. Many of his works involve the concept of endurance. In this video, “Undertone” from 1972, the idea of endurance involves skating the thin line between comfort and discomfort. This is a common theme with Acconci’s work. With “Undertone,” the comfort level falls on the audience more than the artist, like many of Acconci’s works. In this particular video, Acconci sits at a table and acts out the fantasy of a girl rubbing his thighs underneath the table. His rambling dialogue switches back and forth between the camera (the viewer) and himself. One thing to consider is that this specific video is just an excerpt, meaning that it went on for longer that what the viewer sees here. This video might not be an obvious example of endurance, but after thinking about the different ways a performance artist can exemplify the concept of endurance this video becomes a clear choice. As stated before, trying to find a balancing point between comfort and discomfort is an act of endurance. No one is forced to watch this performance, but anyone who does is bound to feel slightly, if not extremely uncomfortable. Forcing a viewer to question their comfort levels might not be Acconci’s goal for this video, or his other works, but doing so definitely gives a great example of endurance in performance art.
William Wegman "Dog Duet" 1974
This first video is by William Wegman. Born in 1943 in Massachusetts, Wegman is best known for his work with dogs, specifically Weimaraners. Wegman has done work with both videos and photography and even frequented Sesame Street with his dogs. This particular video is from 1974 and is entitled "Dog Duet." In this video, Wegman holds a dog biscuit between his lips and lets his dog eat it straight from his mouth. This is a common trick many people do with their pets to show how gentle they can be. What Wegman does, however, is a little different. He doesn't let his dog simply grab it out of his mouth, but instead makes him eat it bite by bite. Because of this, it looks as if Wegman and his dog are sharing a rather intimate moment by making it appear as though they are kissing. This is a perfect example of a performance artist using endurance. Wegman doesn’t let his dog complete the simple act of grabbing the treat in one swift movement. Instead, he lies on the floor and treats his mouth as a food dish letting the dog continually eat straight from his mouth. This video is a perfect example of endurance for a performance artist. According to Patty Chang, “The element of endurance …finding the line between comfort and discomfort and holding it just a little too long.” Wegman tests his level of comfort by allowing his dog to practically eat right out of his mouth.
Vito Acconci "Seedbed" January 15-29, 1971
This Vito Acconci video, “Seedbed” is of an installation piece done at Sonnebed Gallery. It took place from January 15-29, 1971. A ramp was installed throughout the gallery and Acconci lay underneath it and projected his voice through a loudspeaker. With this particular piece, Acconci again plays with the viewers comfort level. During this video, Acconci masturbates underneath this ramp and what he is projecting over the loudspeaker is his fantasies about the patrons walking directly above him in the gallery. This is another good example of endurance for Acconci. In this piece it is as if he forces the viewer, now participant, into dealing with their comfort levels. Again, in this instance, Acconci’s endurance deals more with his audience than himself. The way in which “Seedbed” was performed is another example of endurance. In an interview with Brian Sherwin, Acconci explains in detail how “Seedbed” was executed. Acconci states, “I didn’t want to be a point, a target, a focal-point in front of visitors to the gallery … I crawled around this space, its highest point was two, two and a half feet high, I crawled around under visitors’ feet -- once I had titled the piece Seedbed (a synonym for floor, under current, sub-structure), I knew what my goal had to be: I had to produce seed, the space I was in should become a bed of seed, a field of seed – in order to produce seed, I had to masturbate – in order to masturbate, I had to excite myself” (October 2008 interview from myartspace.com) Crawling around in this tight space for an extended period of time is a prime example of endurance.
Marina Abramovic "Relation in Time" 1977
Marina Abramovic, born in 1946 in present day Serbia, refers to herself as the grandmother of performance art having been active in this category for over three decades. Marina Abramovic’s video, “Relation in Time” from 1977 is a perfect example of a performance artist dealing with the concept of endurance. In this video, the viewer is able to get a glimpse into a piece that lasted seventeen hours. For the first sixteen hours Abramovic and Ulay (Uwe Laysiepen) sit back to back connected to eachother by their hair without an audience. The audience doesn’t show up until the last hour. This example of endurance is not that much different from an athlete’s idea of endurance. When thinking about athletes, the idea of endurance often makes people think about an individual pushing it as far as they can, but when it comes to performance artists, the concept of endurance is a little different. During an interview Patty Chang states, “Endurance is just something that lasts a little too long” (p124 Interview with Patty Chang by Eve Oishi). There is no question that Abramovic and Ulay push themselves to the extreme by sitting in the same position without moving for seventeen hours. This may not seem like an act of endurance requiring extreme amounts of energy, like a runner for example. However, pushing themselves to last that long is a prime example of an artist testing their limits and abilities.
Vito Acconci "Pryings" 1971
This last video, “Pryings” from 1971, is another example from performance artist Vito Acconci. This particular example involves endurance with both parties in the video, Acconci and the woman he struggles with for an extended period of time. In this video, Acconci continually struggles to force open the eyes of the woman in the video with him. Unlike many of Acconci’s other videos, the endurance in this specific video deals more with Acconci and the woman as opposed to the audience. The reason this is a good example of endurance is because of the act that is taking place and the amount of time it is endured for. This video, which lasts almost twenty minutes, is a nonstop battle that consists of Acconci trying to open this woman’s eyes. He pulls at her eyelids trying to pry them open with force. She persists in keeping her eyes closed, keeping her eyelids together as tightly as she can and flailing her head back and forth. Acconci counteracts by grabbing her entire head and forcing it into certain positions and he continually persists in trying to peel her eyelids apart. One speculation is that Acconci is trying to force the woman to see, so even if Acconci manages to get her eyelids to separate, she rolls her eyes into the back of her head hiding her irises so she literally cannot see even though her eyes are technically open. Acconci not only deals with endurance in the video, but also the concept of control. The reasoning behind trying to force someone’s eyes open might not be obvious, but endurance and control are two apparent themes in this video.
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